Tag Archives: oculus

​I rode a metal

I was flying across a polygon-filled cloudy kingdom, rising too high. Like Charlie Bucket drinking the Fizzy Lifting Drink, I didn’t know how to come down. My right arm didn’t seem to be working well. It felt like my wings were broken. I turned upward, and nearly hit a mountain. We reset the system and …

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Oculus CEO steps down to lead new PC virtual reality group

Oculus is shaking things up. Brendan Iribe, CEO of the Facebook-owned virtual reality company, said Tuesday he’s leaving the top job to lead a new division within the company. Oculus will be split into two groups: one focused on developing VR that’s powered by personal computers, and one for VR that’s powered by mobile phones. Iribe said he’ll be leading …

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Google Daydream vs. Samsung Gear VR: Which VR ticket out of reality should you choose?

Wanna get away? If you’re looking for a ticket out of this universe, at least temporarily, VR can deliver that on your phone. Or, even give you ways to reach out and communicate with the world. Samsung (with Facebook) and Google offer you two options: the Samsung Gear VR, and the new Google Daydream View. They work with recent Samsung …

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Can Amazon topple Apple, Spotify in music? (The 3:59, Ep. 122)

Amazon wants to take on Apple and Spotify, and the Echo speaker is its secret weapon. The online retailing giant on Wednesday launched Music Unlimited, a $10-a-month service that looks a lot like Spotify and Apple Music. The real standout feature is a $4-a-month option that only plays to your Amazon Echo speaker. It’s just another way Amazon wants to …

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Here’s what I look like in Facebook’s next reality

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg might have just showed us the future of selfies — and maybe of social networks, too. Long story short, Zuck expects people to start hanging out with their friends in VR spaces, each person represented by a cartoony avatar. Related coverage Oculus is Zuckerberg’s big bet on the future PlayStation VR is pretty damn cool Palmer …

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I tried the wireless Oculus Rift. It tasted like freedom

Wireless isn’t new. The Microsoft HoloLens is wireless. The Intel Project Alloy is wireless. Qualcomm has a wireless VR headset too. None of them create a virtual world as stunning as what the Oculus Rift’s annoying tether can produce. But just tried a wireless Oculus Rift. And by “tried,” I mean I tried to break the illusion as hard as …

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Mark Zuckerberg teases wireless Oculus VR headset

Oculus has another new VR platform on the horizon, and it looks like something different from PC- and phone-connected virtual reality. At Oculus Connect on Thursday, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg made a lengthy appearance to discuss the future of VR software. He also introduced a surprise, acknowledging the need for something different — hardware that’s not a PC or mobile …

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Oculus drops price of VR

If you want the absolute best VR experience, an expensive PC comes to mind. That’s why the PlayStation VR, which requires only a PlayStation 4 game console, is so impressive. Today, though, Oculus says it’s lowering the minimum requirements for PC-based VR so more people can get in on the action. Now an Oculus-ready PC will start at $499. Or …

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Microsoft bringing immersive content to its Edge browser

Microsoft’s new Edge browser is the latest product that will give you something interesting to do with your VR headset. The company announced Friday that its Edge browser, which is bundled in Windows 10, is getting experimental support for WebVR — a developing standard that allows websites to support virtual reality headsets like the high-end Oculus Rift or the much …

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Star Trek: Bridge Crew will let you captain a starship in VR this fall

VR is about to make another sci-fi dream come true. LeVar Burton (Geordi La Forge), Jeri Ryan (Seven of Nine) and Karl Urban (Dr. McCoy) have already gotten an taste — according to the Associated Press, video game giant Ubisoft gave the three Star Trek actors an early peek at a brand new VR game dubbed Star Trek: Bridge Crew. …

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